GEORGE LINDSEY UNA FILM FESTIVAL

MISSION AND OBJECTIVE
Presented in a university setting, The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival provides its attendees with an exceptional lineup of quality workshops, panels, screenings, and networking opportunities – as well as with informal interaction among filmmakers and guests. Its priority is to discover emerging talents and promote their works by reaching, educating, inspiring, and entertaining audiences with the best in cinematic art.

MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The festival carries forward the memory of beloved character actor and humanitarian George S. Lindsey, best known as Goober on The Andy Griffith Show . Beyond his television work, Lindsey’s selfless efforts raised over $1.7 million for Alabama Special Olympics and another $50,000 for the Alabama Association of Retarded Citizens. Lindsey’s open heart, gentle spirit, and intellectual curiosity are now the driving forces of the festival that bears his name. In a manner similar to George Lindsey himself, this festival is proud to offer Southern hospitality at its finest, ensuring all attending filmmakers and guests enjoy an outstanding experience. As Ernest Borgnine declared, this is a “festival that really cares about good film and the filmmakers who make it.”

As one of four cities that make up the Shoals region along the Tennessee River, Florence, Alabama is an entertainment mecca with roots that reach deep into Southern rock and the blues. Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Steve Winwood, Etta James, Tom Jones, and a host of other music legends have recorded in the region; that formidable network of entertainment greats has helped pave way for another – the astounding film industry family that continues to blossom in Florence. Submit your film to the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival today and discover this artist’s haven for yourself!

The 16th Annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival is hosted at the University of North Alabama on the banks of the Tennessee River, the festival offers competitive categories in screenwriting as well as in filmmaking, honors both narrative and documentary films, and also includes a “Vanguard” competition for films with innovative aesthetic or abstract techniques.

The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival welcomes local, national, and international entries, and encourages submissions from student and professional filmmakers alike. First-place winners in each category receive a Golden Lion Medallion and a cash prize, or its equivalent in products. Films at least partly produced in Alabama are also eligible for the Clyde ‘Sappo’ Black Sweet Home Alabama Award, which carries a cash prize of $2,000 USD. Special Jury Awards are also presented in such categories as Best Story, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Sound Design, and Best Score.

The best works from emerging talents are recognized alongside such recent best-of-show winners as Shane Acker’s Oscar-nominated 9; Steve Guttenberg’s P.S., Your Cat is Dead!; and Kathryn Tucker Windham’s documentary, Kathryn, the Story of a Teller. Industry Q&A events, table readings of winning screenplays, and a variety of late-night events add additional personality and flair to this unique festival that has drawn Academy Award-winners Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade) and Ernest Borgnine (Marty), character actors Rance Howard (Cool Hand Luke) and Stephen Root (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) , and luminaries from the music, art, radio, and television industries.